Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants that is native to moist subtropical and tropical climates and contains more than 1,600 species and hundreds of hybrids. Depending on the climate, some begonia plants are grown indoors as ornamental houseplants or are cultivated outside for their bright colorful flowers. Begonia plants have fleshy leaves and stems, and the leaves are often magnificently colored and textured. Cultivated begonia plants often have showy flowers of white, pink, scarlet or yellow color.
Begonia plants are monoecious, with unisexual male and female flowers occurring separately on the same plant; the male contains numerous stamens and the female has a large inferior ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigmas. In most begonia species, the fruit is a winged capsule containing numerous minute seeds. The leaves, which are often large and variously marked or variegated, are usually asymmetric.
The American Begonia Society classifies begonias into eight major groups including: cane-like, shrub, rhizomatous, semperflorens (wax type), tuberous, rex, trailing-scandent, and thick stemmed. The begonia genus is unusual in that species throughout the genus, even those from different continents, can frequently be hybridized with each other, which has led to an enormous number of cultivars. Most begonias propagate easily by seed or from stem cuttings.
Begonia plants are a popular and valuable ornamental plant. Thus, there is a continued need to develop new begonia hybrids with unique colors.